Let’s debate more in the name of Earth’s history

Published 02/07/14 5:50am

Editor,

Yesterday, I watched the debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye, which was focused on the differing perspectives of religion and science regarding the history of the Earth and how we human beings got here.

I saw this debate as an excellent first step in the right direction for us human beings at this time. I think it needs to be the beginning of a vast number of such debates — dialogues — between individuals who consider themselves to be in one of the camps of believers in a set of religious beliefs, which define the reality of the history of our universe and how we got here, or in one of the camps of individuals seeking the reality of the history of our universe and how we got here in our interpretations of the evidence we are able to find.

The believers camps believe that the history of our universe and how we got here is already known and has been recorded in some sacred text, so all we have to do is read that, accept is as reality, and live by it. The let’s seek camps believe that the history of our universe and how we got here is not known but can be determined by examining the evidence left in the fossils and rocks on this planet.

I see the question of who is on the right path in this difference of opinion debate as an open question. This can only be resolved by having frequent open, honest and authentic dialogues between individuals from these two sets of camps at all levels of our society — in school classrooms at all levels, churches, religious gatherings, scientific gatherings, and any other meeting we have.

As long as individuals in these two camps stay separated and continue to simply criticize each other, there will never be a resolution to this question. So, let us begin having as many debates as possible and all get on the path to resolving this issue that is presently keeping us so divided.

I would like to be a participant in these dialogues on the discovery side.